Matthew Sweet's first album, Inside, was a sadly neglected trove of ingenious power pop. On Earth, his second album, Sweet proves that the breezy charm of his debut was no melodic fluke. Earth yields another crop of consistently catchy and inventive pop songs that combine the airy mysticism of R.E.M. with the playfulness of stylists like Nick Lowe and Lindsey Buckingham. Radio-ready tracks such as "When I Feel Again" and "Vertigo" catch the ear while conjuring dreamlike images ("There's a mountain/Inside of you/My vision I swear it's true").

Yet for all its shrewd craftsmanship, Earth occasionally seems a tad bloodless. This problem is compounded by the album's high-tech production, which at times threatens to engulf Sweet's modest vocals in a blizzard of synthesized effects. Fortunately, the songs get boosts of raucous energy from the solos of guitarists Richard Lloyd and Robert Quine. With their boisterous assistance, Sweet comes close to achieving that elusive ideal: pop music that's as intelligent as it is exuberant. (RS 551)

DAVID KISSINGER